Monday, July 29, 2013

Crosspost from Marc and Angel Hack Life - 8 Ways to Grow Happiness by Letting Go

Marc and Angel's blog is always upbeat and inspirational - I've included an excerpt in this blog. Read it in its entirety on their blog, Marc and Angel Hack Life, who just released their audio book for ‘1,000 Little Things Happy, Successful People Do Differently’Click here to check it out!Thanks to Marc and Angel for writing such an uplifting and helpful blog!

1. Criticizing everyone and everything.

Life isn’t perfect. People make mistakes. Let go of unfair
expectations. Stop criticizing yourself and others for being human. If
you feel like everyone is judging you all the time, realize that human
beings often feel this way when they are too busy judging themselves.

2. Believing that you have all the answers.

Criticizing has a big brother: the know-it-all-syndrome. The older
you grow, the higher you rise in your chosen field, and the more you
achieve, the more likely you are to think you know it all. The measure of your intelligence and success in life will be in
direct proportion to your ability to change your mind and let it
expand. If someone is able to show you that what you think or do is not
right, thank them and happily adjust. Seek the truth. Never stop
learning.

3. Trying to control everything.

Craving control leads to anger and unhappiness. Life is to be lived,
not controlled. Powerful, positive change will occur in your life when
you decide to take control of yourself instead of craving control over
everyone and everything else. Realize you haven’t
lost anything; you were never in control of the uncontrollable to begin
with. (Read The Power of Now.)

4. Dwelling on what used to be.

When something negative happens, view this circumstance as a chance to learn something you didn’t know.
Don’t wish it never happened. Don’t try to step back in time. Take
the lessons learned and step forward. The past is valuable. It provides a solid foundation for everything
you’re doing now. Learn from it – the mistakes and the successes – and
then let it go. Because only when we let go of what used to be, do we grow and begin to
see a world we never knew was possible.

5. Wanting everything you don’t have.

Life is NOT short if you spend every waking moment appreciating it.
It’s just that by the time most of us catch up to appreciating what we
have, we’ve already squandered our time and left life at least halfway
behind us. The key is being thankful for what you have NOW.

6. Whining and doing nothing about it.

Complaining does not work as a strategy. Those who complain the
most, accomplish the least positive results. When you spend time
fretting and complaining, you’re simply using your imagination to create
things you don’t want.Don’t talk about what’s wrong. If you took a fraction of the
energy you put into complaining and applied it to solving your problem,
you’d likely be stunned by how well things can work out. Start talking
about how you’ll improve things, even if the conversation is only with
yourself, and then focus on the next positive step. Refocus your energy
into making your situation better. (Read The Power of Habit.)

7. Fearing everything for any reason at all.

Sometimes we’re afraid we’ll fail. Sometimes we’re subconsciously
afraid we’ll succeed, because then we’d have to deal with all the
disruption (growth) and change that follows success. And other times
it’s our fear of rejection or simply our fear of looking like a fool.
So it’s easier to hesitate, to wait for the perfect moment, to decide we
need to think a bit longer or do some more research or explore a few
more unnecessary alternatives.Meanwhile days, weeks, months, and even years of our precious lives pass us by. And so do our dreams.The best way I’ve found to let go of fear is to stare it down.
Connect to your fear, feel it in your body, realize it and steadily
address it. Greet it by name if you have to: “Welcome, fear.” And then
take action! Whatever you’ve been planning, whatever you’ve imagined,
whatever you’ve dreamed of, don’t wait another minute. Get started!
Take the first step. Do something. Do anything. Learn as you go and
watch as your fears slowly subside.

8. Spending time with people who drain you.

It’s not always where you are in life, but who you have by your side
that matters most. Some people drain you and others provide soul food.
Don’t jeopardize your dignity and self-respect by trying to make
someone accept, love and appreciate you when they have proven that they
are incapable of doing so.When you leave the wrong people behind,
the right things start happening.

And Marc and Angel's question for you:

What could you stop, subtract, or let go in life that would make you
feel happier and more at ease? Please leave a comment below.

Read This Blog - Human Snapshots In Time

Yes! You can clear your path to a happier life. Joy is within your reach. This blog is designed to encourage us toward positive discussions and will let us consider life situations as they occur. We will explore relationships and find the way to embrace life. If we are mindful, there is joy as we move through the struggle. Difficult people are put in our paths as an opportunity to grow. Challenging situations are likewise in our way to help us learn to move forward toward the easy flow of creativity and peace. We will also celebrate the everyday occurrences that make life remarkable and magical.

About Me

Mary Beth Del Balzo, CHt, LCSW, Psychotherapist, helps people seek and find the joy that eludes them, helping to empower individuals through talk therapy and integrated holistic modalities. The therapeutic relationship offers the opportunity to consider and practice a new lens on the world. Human connection is the bond that heals.
Mary Beth is President and CEO of The College of Westchester in White Plains, NY and has a private practice in Bergen County, New Jersey.
Hypnosis and work in the subconscious is the eye to the soul. Mary Beth is an expert in hypnotherapy with advanced hypnosis certifications, and is staff hypnotherapist for several doctors' practices.